Preventing counterfeit medicines, cosmetics, and dietary supplements.

Authorities have been continuously discovering counterfeit pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and dietary supplements recently. To promptly protect public health, the Ministry of Health is launching a high-intensity campaign to combat counterfeit medicines, cosmetics, and food products before, during, and after the upcoming Lunar New Year.

Báo Nhân dân•18/01/2026

Market Management Team No. 14 inspects a cosmetics warehouse in Hanoi.

Market Management Team No. 14 inspects a cosmetics warehouse in Hanoi .

The health sector has identified the prevention and control of counterfeit medicines, cosmetics, and functional foods as an ongoing task requiring decisive and coordinated efforts from management agencies at all levels, from central to local. According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc, enhanced inter-sectoral coordination, especially between health sector units and the police and market management forces, has contributed to dismantling several long-standing networks producing and trading counterfeit medicines, cosmetics, and functional foods.

In 2025, the Drug Administration, the Food Safety Administration, and local Departments of Health intensified inspections and supervision of the production and business activities of drugs, cosmetics, and functional foods; promptly detecting and handling many violations. Authorities issued administrative penalties in the pharmaceutical sector totaling nearly 1.7 billion VND; fined 18 establishments related to functional foods with nearly 1.4 billion VND; and transferred two serious cases involving banned substances and counterfeit goods to the investigative agency. According to reports from 20 provincial and city Departments of Health, as of December 1, 2025, inspections had been conducted at 3,069 establishments producing and trading medical products, with 249 establishments receiving administrative penalties totaling over 6 billion VND…

Despite the achievements, the fight against counterfeit goods in the healthcare sector still faces numerous difficulties and limitations. One major shortcoming is that the penalties for producing and trading counterfeit or illegally sourced goods, as stipulated in current regulations, are not commensurate with the consequences. In some cases, the administrative penalties are not strong enough to deter offenders, leading some to readily accept the fines as a mere expense...

Mr. Tran Duc Dong, Deputy Head of the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee 389, stated that: Currently, the infrastructure and equipment of the state-run drug and medical product testing system, especially at the local level, are lacking and not synchronized. Many provincial-level testing centers do not meet the requirements to fully test all indicators according to approved standards. Meanwhile, counterfeiting methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using high technology, even falsifying legal documents and test results.

The rapid development of e-commerce and social media has created opportunities for businesses selling pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and dietary supplements, but it has also increased the risk of counterfeit and unregistered goods infiltrating the market. Controlling and addressing violations in the digital environment remains challenging due to a lack of interconnected mechanisms and data sharing between regulatory agencies. Therefore, without further improvements to the institutional framework, enhanced enforcement capacity, and stricter management discipline, the risk of counterfeit goods in the healthcare sector will persist.

The health sector has identified 2026 as a key year for implementing comprehensive, long-term solutions, with a focus on improving institutions and enhancing the effectiveness of law enforcement. The sector will concentrate on reviewing, amending, and supplementing legal documents related to the management of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods, aiming for stricter, more consistent, and practical implementation; and researching adjustments to penalties to increase deterrence and proportionality to the severity of violations.

On the other hand, post-market inspection and monitoring will be considered a key step in promptly detecting and handling violations. Inspection activities will focus on high-risk product groups, key areas, and distribution channels on e-commerce platforms and social media. The health sector will continue to strengthen and invest in the drug and medical product testing system, gradually modernizing equipment, improving the professional capacity of testing staff, and ensuring sufficient capacity to detect counterfeit and substandard drugs and other infringing products early. In addition, inter-sectoral coordination in information sharing, investigation, and handling of complex and organized cases will be intensified.

Following the directives of the Government, the Prime Minister, and the National Assembly on strengthening the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods in the health sector, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has signed and issued a plan for a high-intensity campaign against smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods before, during, and after the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026. The plan emphasizes strengthening inspections of law enforcement, promptly detecting, preventing, and strictly handling violations. The head of the health sector assigns specific responsibilities to each department, bureau, the Steering Committee 389 of the Ministry of Health , and the Departments of Health of 34 provinces and cities to coordinate inter-agency efforts to intensify inspections, promptly detect, prevent, and strictly handle violations, and combat substandard, counterfeit, and goods of unknown origin.

THANH MAI

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ngan-chan-thuoc-my-pham-thuc-pham-chuc-nang-gia-post937607.html